Sustainability, Vol. 11, Pages 2800: Eating Habits and Sustainable Food Production in the Development of Innovative `Healthy` Snacks (Running Title: Innovative and `Healthy` Snacks) (Sustainability)

In recent years, science about nutrition and food technology has grown enormously. These advances have provided information about the human body’s need for certain nutrients and the impact of human nutrition on quality of life and health. New technologies enable the production of many new products that meet the expectations of food consumers. To meet the challenges posed by consumers, food producers are developing new food products that are included in the next generation food. Changing nutritional trends force the food industry and technologists to look for innovative products that are not only ready for immediate consumption, but are also unique in terms of nutritional value and contain a minimum number of additives. Existing research trends are intended to develop innovative products, which can be considered a healthy snack that can help in the fight against obesity, especially among children. Such products are freeze-dried fruit or vegetable gels, fruit skins or edible films. The aim of the work is to present a review of the problem of increasing childhood obesity, the place of snacks in the daily diet and the possibility of replacing unhealthy, high-calorie snacks with alternative products with beneficial properties, in which balanced production is used. For example, the use of freeze-drying and the addition of only natural hydrocolloids provides an “clean label” healthy snack that is appreciated by conscious consumers.